1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video recorder housing having a pivoting gate permitting the backbone or rear side of a videocassette fitted in the housing to be seen from the outside.
2. Related Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 8, a conventional video recorder housing 1 has a cassette slot 2 made on its front side for inserting and removing a videocassette 3 from the housing 1. The housing 1 has a pivoting gate to close and open the cassette slot 2. When a videocassette is loaded into the housing, the cassette is applied to the gate to push the gate open inwards. The videocassette is then pushed forward onto the cassette guide to be lowered and set on the reel stage.
FIG. 9 shows how the videocassette 3 is located inside the housing. In the loading position, the videocassette 3 is laid on the reel stage behind the cassette guide 4. The cassette guide is flush with the lower edge of the cassette slot 2, thus putting the rear label 5 of the videocassette out of sight from the outside. In this position, the rear label 5 of the videocassette 3 cannot be seen even if the gate 6 is opened fully. The label 5 of the videocassette 3 cannot be seen without taking the videocassette 3 out of the housing 1. Alternatively, the videotape may be played back to see the title of the recorded television show or picture. In any event, it cannot be confirmed immediately what videotape is loaded once it has been put into the housing 1.
To reduce the above described inconvenience, the cassette guide 4 is notched to provide a chamfered edge 7, shown in FIG. 9, thereby permitting viewers to see the label 5 of the tape cassette 3 from the outside. Alternatively, a transparent gate may be used to see inside. Use of the transparent gate, however, causes some adverse effects on the function of the videotape recorder because of invasion of the surrounding light inside. Additionally, no indications describing, for instance, a particular type of the machine can be put on the transparent gate 6.
Japan Patent 9-274790(A) shows a video recorder housing using a transparent gate and an information-bearing gate, both pivoted on the upper edge of the cassette slot front and rear. These, front, transparent and rear letters-printed gates are so operatively connected that a videocassette when loaded inside may be visible through the transparent gate, while the letters-printed gate is pushed up and laid on the upper surface of the videocassette in the housing. In this position the information on the rear gate cannot be seen from the outside. Conversely when no videotape cassette is loaded inside, the rear gate is behind the front transparent gate so that the information on the rear gate may be seen through the front transparent gate.
Disadvantages of such double gate structure and associated actuator mechanism include a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the video recorder.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video recorder housing having a main-and-auxiliary pivoting gate assembly which can attain a dual-purpose of permitting the backbone or rear side of a videocassette fitted inside to be seen from the outside and presenting some other information on the gate to the outside, without adding a substantial amount to the manufacturing cost of the video recorder housing.
To attain this object, a video recorder housing having a main-and-auxiliary pivoting gate assembly to open and close the cassette slot for inserting and removing a videocassette from the video recorder, is improved according to the present invention. Specifically, the housing of the present invention has a horizontal pin fixed inside and above the cassette slot, the main gate is mounted to rotate about the provided horizontal pin and is spring-biased toward its closing position. The main gate has a sub-horizontal pin and an inverted xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lever both operatively connected to control the opening degree of the auxiliary gate. The auxiliary gate is spring-biased toward its closing position, and can be rotated about the sub-horizontal pin, while the inverted xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lever rolls on the ceiling of the housing.
The main gate has a depression made on its front side, the depression being so sized and shaped that the auxiliary gate may be snuggly fitted in the depression to be coplanar with the front side of the main gate.
The auxiliary gate preferably bears some pieces of information, such as a trademark or a brand name on its front side.
The main gate is pivoted to the inside of the housing above the cassette slot, and the auxiliary gate bearing the brand name information on its front side is pivoted to the main gate. The main and auxiliary gates are spring-biased toward their closing positions. In operation, a videocassette is pushed into the cassette slot of the video recorder, while forcing the main-and-auxiliary gate assembly to yieldingly rotate inward of the housing. When the videocassette is loaded into the housing, it is laid on the reel stage at a level lower than the level of the cassette slot. During this loading, the lower edge of the main gate is caught by the upper surface of the videocassette to be inclined with respect to the cassette slot while the auxiliary gate suspends substantially vertically behind the cassette slot. In this position, between the lower edge of the suspending auxiliary gate and the chamfered cassette guide extending inward from the lower edge of the cassette slot, there remains a lateral space wide enough to allow an outside observer to see the label of the videocassette fitted inside.
The above and other objects, aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.